I made it down to Memphis for
the Blues Music Awards this year for the third time. The parties going on at Rum Boogie Café and Alfreds
on Beale Street were spectacular. There
was so much fun to be had with the never-ending musical talents of all who
performed.
---
·All photos by Phillip Smith using iPhone
BratGirlMedia All-Star Showcase @ Rum Boogie Cafe
Gabe Stillman & Tate Berkey
Gabe Stillman
Gabe Stillman, Tate Berkey, Billy Bellino
Gabe Stillman
Billy Bellino
Billy Bellino & Richard Rosenblatt
Long Tall Deb and Colin John
Colin John and Gabe Stillman
Long Tall Deb, Billy Bellino, & Richard Rosenblatt
Long Tall Deb & Richard Rosenblatt
Gabe Stillman & Colin John
Sugaray Rayford
Danny Avila
Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia
Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia
Albert Castiglia
Bob Stroger, Bob Corritore, & Anthony Geraci
Jimi 'Primetime' Smith, John Primer, Bob Corritore, & Bob Stroger
John Primer, Bob Stroger, Bob Corritore
Bob Stroger, Bob Corritore
Albert Castiglia, John Primer, Bob Stroger, Bob Corritore
John Primer, Albert Castiglia, Bob Stroger, Bob Corritore
Big Llou's Fun-Raiser @ Alfreds
Big Llou with Vince Johnson & the Plantation Allstars
Jeremy Powell
Vince Johnson
Vince Johnson and the Plantation Allstars
Vince Johnson and the Plantation Allstars
Vince Johnson and the Plantation Allstars
Vince Johnson and the Plantation Allstars
Jeremy Powell & Deanna Bogart
Deanna Bogart with Vince Johnson & the Plantation Allstars
Deanna Bogart with Vince Johnson & the Plantation Allstars
FreeWorld is definitely one of the must-see bands in Memphis
Tennessee. For over thirty-seven years, this ever-changing ensemble has
been captivating audiences and earning the utmost respect from their contemporaries.
They sure have my full attention. In 2012 they were honored to receive a brass
note on the Beale Street Walk of Fame. Fronted by Richard Cushing
(producer/ band director/ lead vocals/ bass guitars/ shaker/ ratchet), FreeWorld
is also comprised of Peter Climie (saxophones/ NuRAD EWI/ tambourine), Cedric
Taylor (Hammond B3/ grand piano/ Wurlitzer/ Nord), Alex Schuetrumpf
(trumpet/ piccolo trumpet/ flugelhorn), Courtney Reid (lead & backing
vocals), Frank Paladino (baritone saxophone), Freedman Steorts
(trombone), Walter Hughes (guitars), Matt Sweatt (drums). More
Love, their eighth album is a melting pot of fourteen fresh original tracks
baptized in the vibrant sounds of funk, jazz, soul, rock, and blues.
I’m instantly charged by the
high-vibrational sounds of “Outta Sight”. The track ferociously tears the roof
off and opens things up. The rhythm is slathered in funk, the horns are so hot
they melt, and the guitar solo is phenomenal. Soaked in that Southern spiritual
goodness, title-track “More Love, sung by special guest Jerome Chism
with the Tennessee Mass Choir is a beautiful anthem. I dig the addition
of slide guitar by special guest Aubrey McCrady into the intoxicating
sounds of their reggae song “Heart on the Table”. That’s really unique. In
numerology 11:11 refers to a reset or transition. FreeWorld brings it to
song form with “11:11 on Beale”, a relaxed horn-fueled jazz instrumental which
serves as a backdrop for a free-flowing spoken-word homage to Beale Street by Benjamin
Theolonius “IQ” Sanders. It’s a very cool track indeed. “Who Knew” draws me
in with its buttery rhythm before it really wows me with the sax-guitar dual,
steering the song into a smoking instrumental. I snuggle right in to the feel-good
and carefree blanket of “Nothin’ Wrong”. The song reminds me of the playfulness
of one of my favorite bands Phish. Closing out the album is “D-Up (Here’s
to Diversity)” the second of two bonus tracks. With lyrics written by FreeWorld’s
drummer David Skypeck, the song made its first recorded appearance twenty-five
years ago on their 1999 album called Diversity. The song was re-recorded
in 2020 and featured over three dozen Memphis artists to make a ‘We Are
the World”-inspired video with stars like Earl “the Pearl” Banks, Joyce
Cobb, Luther Dickinson, Al Kapone and Blind Mississippi
Morris. The version on this album is from the 2020 video and I absolutely love
it.
FreeWorld’s More Love has
everything I like to hear in an album. It has surely landed among my favorites
for the year,
Blues Music Awards Showcase Presented by BratGirlmedia Rum Boogie Cafe Memphis, Tennessee May 8, 2023 Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com I made it down to Memphis for the Blues Music Awards last year for the very first time. I had so much fun and heard so much fantastic music, I had to return for another round this year. It was another amazing experience. On May 8th, the evening before the BMA's, I attended a pair of music showcases. One was Big Llou's 10th Annual Blues Hall of Fame Tribute Fundraiser at Alfred's on Beale, The other was Vizztone'sAll-Star Blues Party on Beale St./Blues Music Award Showcase at RumBoogie Cafe. And just like last year, without camera in tow, I still captured a few photos of these fabulous events on my iPhone while I bounced back and forth between the venues. --- * all photos by Phillip Smith
Big Llou's at Alfreds
Vince Johnson & the Plantation Allstars
Chris Cain with Vince Johnson
Vince Johnson & the Plantation Allstars
Chris Cain with Vince Johnson
Mathias Lattin
Tony Holiday
Tony Holiday
Mr. Sipp
Mr. Sipp
Southern Avenue
Southern Avenue
Southern Avenue
Southern Avenue
Johnny Rawls
Johnny Rawls
Vizztone/Bratgirl Media at Rum Boogie Cafe
Blackburn Brothers
Blackburn Brothers
Blackburn Brothers
Albert Castiglia
Bob Margolin
Bob Margolin
Deb Ryder
Deb Ryder, Bob Margolin, Rosy Rosenblatt, Ben Levin
Rosy Rosenblatt, Ben Levin
Albert Castiglia & Kevin Burt
Albert Castiglia & Kevin Burt
Kevin Burt, Cliff Moore
Ephraim Lowell
Cliff Moore, Kevin Burt
Ben Levin
Albert Castiglia, Ephraim Lowell, Cliff Moore & Kevin Burt
Kevin Burt, Ephraim Lowell, Cliff Moore
Sue Foley
Sue Foley , Cliff Moore, Rosy Rosenblatt
Mike Zito
Mike Zito
Albert Castiglia & Mike Zito
Albert Castiglia & Mike Zito
Cliff Moore, Albert Castiglia & Mike Zito
John Primer
John Primer, Tony Braunagel, Cliff Moore, Mike Zito, Bob Corritore
